Bale handling apparatus

Claim 1

In a bale handling apparatus, a combination of: a. a farm tractor with an implement hitch, said hitch being selectively elevationally positionable; b. a frame structure; c. means securing said frame structure to said hitch with said hitch being operable for elevationally positioning said frame structure; d. a pair of arms spaced apart and swingably mounted on said frame structure, said arms each having a free end spaced from said frame structure and selectively movable toward and away from one another upon swinging movement of said arms; e. a plurality of elongate bale penetrating members; f. means rotatably mounting certain of said bale penetrating members on each of said arms adjacent the free ends thereof, the bale penetrating members on one arm extending generally toward the bale penetrating members on the other said arm; g. power means operabaly connected to at least one of said arms for selectively effecting the swinging movement of said arms toward and away from one another with the movement toward one another urging said bale penetrating members into opposite ends of a bale; h. said bale penetrating members including elongate tines; i. said means rotatably mounting said bale penetrating members including a member freely rotatably mounted on each said arm and having a plurality of said tines on each said member in spaced apart relation and disposed about a center of rotation of the respective said member for preventing relative rotation and slippage between said bale and said members; j. means connected to said arms and said frame and limiting the movement of said arms away from one another; k. means operably connecting said power means to each of said arms wherein said power means selectively effects swinging movement of both of said arms towards and away from one another; l. said power means includes a ram selectively extendable and retractable; m. said means operably connecting said power means to said arms including a first link pivotally mounted on said frame and one end of said ram and a second link pivotally mounted on the other said arm whereby extension and retraction of said arm effects swinging movement of said arms; n. said frame structure having a pair of vertically spaced apart generally horizontal frame members having free ends and a plurality of horizontally spaced apart generally vertical frame members secured to and extending between said horizontal frame members, said arms being pivotally mounted on the horizontal frame members adjacent the free ends thereof; o. said hitch being a three point hitch; and p. said means for securing said frame to said implement hitch including at least three members secured to said frame in spaced apart relation with at least one of said members being spaced vertically from the remaining said members, each said member having one arm of said hitch pivotally connected thereto.